Moses was just a small stray dog when Hopalong Animal Rescue rescued him from an Oakland pier.
Thanks to this wonderful program, Moses was able to go to one of the best host families in the area.
Tom McCallum was already fostering three other dogs at the time, but when he heard that a small deaf puppy needed help, he couldn’t say no.
This is how Mozart Patagonia McCallum III, also known as Moz, was accepted into the group. That’s his little story.
meet shrike
When Moz arrived at the McCallum household, he was in pretty bad shape.
“Moz was just a mess. He was this scrawny, hairless, weird-looking stray. And he was deaf,” Thom told The Dodo.
He was only about three months old, extremely skinny, and suffering from some wild skin issues.
As soon as he arrived at the house, Moz just fell asleep for almost a day and a half. He finally felt safe, but he was also in a bit of shock.
It took some time for him to recover and get used to the routine, but with all the love he got from Thom and the rest of the pack, everything was easier.
The way other dogs immediately accepted Moz and took care of him was beautiful.
“I take in all kinds of fosters and do my best to find them their forever homes. And most of the homes that I’ve found are right here in my neighborhood,” Thom said.
That is exactly how Moz met his new family and his favorite person in the world – a two-year-old girl named Lillian.
Thom would take the dogs for a walk every day around his neighborhood in Berkeley, California, and since Moz was still small, he would be in his backpack.
On their regular walking route, there was this house only two blocks away that they would go by. There lived the Hall family, with two small children who loved animals, especially their 2-year-old daughter, Lillian.
Love At First Sight
“Our kids were home with us, all day long, and so we spent a lot of time looking out the front windows. Thom would walk by with Moz in his backpack, and so we would all go outside and say hi. Our daughter, who is 2 years old, just really loves quiet, mellow, gentle creatures,” Lauren Hall, Lillian’s mother, told The Dodo.
There was an instant connection between them. They were both about the same size and lived a similar pace of life. She walked him, petted him, and played with him almost every day. Their friendship blossomed day by day. When Tom had to go away for two weeks, the family agreed to take care of Moz and see how he was doing.
Lillian truly acted like Moz was her baby and she was his mom. This little deaf dog wouldn’t leave her side – he was a velcro dog.
“He would just go with us wherever we went. He really did fit in pretty seamlessly,” Lauren said.
When Thom came back from the trip, he knew that Moz had already found his forever home.
Two Hearts, One Home
Moz was not going anywhere.
The second Moz got his final vaccination, Thom took out his leash, and they walked to his new home. “I said goodbye to him and gave him straight to Lillian and her family,” Thom said.
“The girl who can’t stop talking and the guy who can’t hear anything,” Thom said.
It was a match made in heaven. Lillian was over the moon, and she simply kept repeating, “I’m Moz forever family!”
For more photos of the most adorable duo, follow Moz on Instagram.
